(LibertyInsider.org) – A new development on the global geopolitical stage is ushering in a fresh wave of concern among international officials. As conflicts intensify across multiple countries, experts are now shining a spotlight on the alleged arms trade between North Korea and Russia, compelling nations to face this emerging threat head-on.
A joint statement US Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken signed with Japan’s Foreign Minister Kamikawa Yoko and the Republic of Korea’s Foreign Minister Park Jin contains the details. It states not only that all three governments are aware that North Korea and Russia are actively trading arms but also that Russia is likely using the provided weapons in the war with Ukraine.
Blinken and the other signatories said they had already verified the delivery of multiple shipments from North Korea to Russia. They pledged to collaborate with international leaders to “expose Russia’s attempts to acquire military equipment from the DPRK” while reaffirming their collective commitment to Ukraine’s sovereignty, denouncing Russia’s “aggression.”
The ongoing trade of weapons between the two countries almost certainly goes both ways. As the statement points out, the DPRK will likely ask Russia for help in achieving its own military objectives if it hasn’t done so already. Blinken and the others are especially concerned about the risk for Russia to traffic in weapons of mass destruction like ballistic missiles, which would violate UN Security Council resolutions.
The idea that Russia and North Korea may be collaborating isn’t new. Officials expressed serious concern about the growing relationship between the two countries back in 2022 when a train from Pyongyang crossed the border into Moscow for the first time in years. The landmark event occurred just two days after US intelligence experts said they had evidence proving the DPRK was secretly sending Russia artillery shells to aid their war efforts.
Rail traffic along the same route surged to unprecedented rates in early October, shortly after a special summit between Kim Jong Un and Vladimir Putin. According to a report from the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), satellite images captured over the Tumangang Rail Facility on October 5 showed a total of 73 cars on the tracks. CSIS believes the cars contained a variety of items, such as personnel, petroleum products, and equipment.
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